A month ago, I shared with you a few suggestions for stocking up the pantry to easily provide for your family and company without having to go to the store at the last minute. These tips are also great for those times when inclement weather or lack of transportation interferes with your daily schedule.
But what about those non-food needs? A well-stocked cabinet not only covers emergency moments, but can also provide some fun family time. Pretend you’re going camping: turn off the lights, the TV, the computers and see what you can do without electronics.
Batteries for flashlights and portable radios are essential. If you don’t have a gas stove, you may want to invest in a small outdoor grill. But if the weather’s too cold, there are alternatives for indoor cooking. A fireplace can be a great gathering place for roasting S’mores (with adult supervision, of course!).
Water and personal care products are essential. One of my favorite fun moments is stocking up at the local store in the Travel-Size section. One small plastic box holds all the shampoo, conditioner, lotion, and toothpaste a person needs for two weeks. Don’t forget body wash and deodorant! Face and body wipes are also great.
Aside from the necessary items, how do you pass the time when there’s no electricity? Cards and board games are great!
Family Fun Time
Are your kids creative? When I was a child, our favorite Christmas gift that we could count on each year was our Creation Boxes. Mom and Dad would get a cardboard file box for each of us kids, and fill them to the brim with blank paper, construction paper, notebooks, paper, pens, colored pencils, crayons, glue, scissors… pretty much the ultimate scrapbook kit before there were such things. We built our own kingdoms, created our own games, and wrote our own stories.
I’ve created another PDF Checklist to start you on your way to a well-stocked emergency kit. Not to mention, some unplugged family fun!
Did I forget anything? What are your favorite items to add to the list?
And Frankly, My Dear… that’s all she wrote.
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Stocking up the Pantry
I can’t see your PDF file but there better be CHOCOLATE on that list… :)
Thanks for letting me know, Mary. I corrected the PDF. Rest assured, chocolate was on the original list. ;)
Molly Jo recently posted..Stocking up the Cabinet
I always liked having a book at hand during power outages.
Books are great at any time!
Molly Jo recently posted..Stocking up the Cabinet
Great list Molly Jo. Last year we were hit by hurricane Sandy and it was a rough go for some. We were without power for 7 days. I had a ton of food and we ate as much of the frozen stuff we could before we had to toss it. But we were lucky we have a stocked basement with dry and can goods. One thing I learned, is to make sure you have PLENTY of UNSCENTED candles. I had jars and jars of candles etc, but the smells got to us after awhile. We have been looking for the large white unscented ones to stick in our stash. Sadly, gas became short and some greedy people horded it. We did learn to get an extra gas gan for each of us to enable us to have some extra. The lines were like the 70’s. So crazy.